What Does Romans 6:1 Mean?

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Paul anticipates the antinomian objection to his doctrine of justification by faith alone (Romans 5:20). The Greek verb epimenōmen (ἐπιμένωμεν) means "to remain, continue, persist"—suggesting habitual, deliberate sin rather than occasional failure. Paul frames this as a diatribē question, the rhetorical style of Greco-Roman philosophical debate, showing he expects this objection from those who misunderstand grace.

The question reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of grace: that God's unmerited favor is a license for moral laxity. This was evidently a real accusation against Paul's gospel (cf. Romans 3:8), suggesting his teaching was so radical that critics thought he promoted sin. The theological issue is whether justification by faith alone necessarily leads to antinomianism—a charge Paul vigorously refutes throughout this chapter by explaining the believer's union with Christ in death and resurrection.